Patentable/Patents/US-10818519
US-10818519

Apparatus and method for treating substrate

PublishedOctober 27, 2020
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for drying a substrate. The apparatus for drying a substrate includes a chamber having a treatment space in the interior thereof, a substrate support unit configured to the substrate in the treatment space, a conversion unit configured to convert a state of the substrate supported by the substrate support unit between a horizontal state and an inclined state, a fluid supply unit configured to supply a drying fluid into the treatment space, and a controller configured to control the conversion unit and the fluid supply unit.

Patent Claims
7 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. An apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, the apparatus comprising: a chamber having a treatment space in the interior thereof; a substrate support unit configured to support the substrate in the treatment space; a conversion unit configured to convert a state of the substrate supported by the substrate support unit between a horizontal state and an inclined state; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a drying fluid into the treatment space; and a controller configured to control the conversion unit and the fluid supply unit, wherein the controller controls the conversion unit and the fluid supply unit to perform: a first liquid removing operation of allowing a part of a liquid that stays on the substrate to flow down from the substrate by converting the state of the substrate to an inclined state if the substrate is carried into the substrate support unit in the treatment space; and a second liquid removing operation of allowing the remaining part of the liquid that stays on the substrate to be removed by supplying the drying fluid into the treatment space, wherein the controller controls the fluid supply unit to supply the drying fluid in a supercritical state in the treatment space in the second liquid removing operation, wherein the controller controls the conversion unit to provide the substrate in a horizontal state in the second liquid removing operation, and wherein the liquid is organic solvent.

2

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the fluid supply unit to further perform: an atmosphere forming operation of forming the treatment space into a supercritical atmosphere by supplying the drying fluid into the treatment space before the first liquid removing operation, and wherein the drying fluid is in a supercritical state in the treatment space in the atmosphere forming operation.

3

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit converts a state of the substrate by changing a state of the chamber between the horizontal state and the inclined state.

4

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support unit includes: a plurality of vertical supports that extend downwards from a ceiling surface of the chamber; and a plurality of horizontal supports that extend inwards from the vertical supports and are located at different heights to support a plurality of substrates individually.

5

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit converts the state of the substrate between the horizontal state and the inclined state by generating a magnetic force.

6

6. An apparatus for drying a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a chamber having a treatment space in the interior thereof; a substrate support unit configured to support the substrate in the treatment space; a conversion unit configured to convert a state of the substrate supported by the substrate support unit between a horizontal state and an inclined state; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a drying fluid into the treatment space; and a controller configured to control the conversion unit and the fluid supply unit, wherein the conversion unit converts the state of the substrate between the horizontal state and the inclined state by generating a magnetic force, wherein the conversion unit includes: a guide located in the substrate support unit and configured to support one side of the substrate; an upper magnetic member provided in the guide; and a lower magnetic member provided in the chamber and located below the upper magnetic member, and wherein the guide is elevated by a magnetic force generated between the upper magnetic member and the lower magnetic member.

7

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conversion unit is hinge-coupled to the chamber.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

July 25, 2018

Publication Date

October 27, 2020

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Cite as: Patentable. “Apparatus and method for treating substrate” (US-10818519). https://patentable.app/patents/US-10818519

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